Former Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, raises his fist on the floor of the House chamber as he walks to his desk to collect his belongings after being expelled from the legislature on Thursday, April 6, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
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The Tennessee House has voted to expel now former Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. The motion to expel Rep. Gloria Johnson failed by one vote.

The three Democrats led an anti-gun demonstration with a bullhorn from the well of the House last week following the shooting at the New Covenant School in Nashville.

Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, raises his fists on the floor of the House chamber to recognize his supporters before the start of the legislative session Thursday in which he was removed from his seat in the House. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

As the AP reports . . .

The banishment of Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson was a move the chamber has used only a handful times since the Civil War. Most state legislatures possess the power to expel members, but it is generally reserved as a punishment for lawmakers accused of serious misconduct, not used as a weapon against political opponents.

Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, delivers remarks on the floor of the House chamber Thursday, April 6, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. A motion to remove Johnson failed by one vote. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Thousands of people flocked to the Capitol on Thursday to support the Democrats, cheering and chanting outside the House chamber so loudly that the noise drowned out the proceedings.

The trio held hands as they walked onto the House floor, and Pearson raised his fist to the crowd during the Pledge of Allegiance.

Offered a chance to defend himself before the vote, Jones said the GOP responded to the shooting with a different kind of attack.

“We called for you all to ban assault weapons, and you respond with an assault on democracy,” he said.

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75 COMMENTS

  1. Opined before that, while I thought that their behavior was childish, disruptive, and non-productive, expelling them from the legislature was equally non-productive. Require them to attend sessions remotely (so they can’t throw a shitfit on the floor of the legislature), is probably the most I could even conceive of doing, but, hey . . . not my circus, not my monkey.

    And there may be MANY valid reasons for it (that are not immediately obvious to me), and I believe in judging each person as an individual, without regard to race, sex, “gender” . . . . SERIOUSLY?? You expel the two black reps, and leave the white one. These are politicians, you stupid assholes – they live, eat, and breathe racial grievances and optics. WTAF were you thinking?????

    Whether there was an objective reason or not, how can that many politicians not look at that and think, “You know, we COULD do this, and they deserve it (although I question that), but do we REALLY want to deal with the optics of this???”

    And, apparently, not enough for them did. Sheesh!

      • From what I saw, Jethro, with the exception of the bullhorn, they were ALL pretty much doing the same thing. Yes, EVERYONE deserves the right to be judged on the basis of their actual actions, regardless of color, creed, sexual orientation, etc. I didn’t see much difference in their actions, except the one guy with the bullhorn.

        But following all the noise being made over the political nature of the J6 persecutions, and recognizing that this is GOING to be a political issue, that it was STAGED for the cameras (and all the pictures and video were going to be all over the news), hell, yes, I’m saying “Consider the optics”.

        So now they have the “optical truth” of three legislators doing pretty much the same thing . . . and only the two black ones get expelled. A detailed investigation might expose serious differences in their actual behavior. Exactly when did that investigation happen? Oh, that’s right, it didn’t.

        Based on what the WHOLE COUNTRY saw on TV and in newspapers, all three participated; the two blacks were expelled, and the ‘nice, white lady’ wasn’t. If you can think of a way to spin that that isn’t sketch as Hell, go right ahead.

    • If this white woman lawmaker was serious about her allegiance, then she would resign and join her colleagues out onto the street. But this was a racial plan. Their plan was to get the blacks expelled. And they hoped the white woman would stay. That is what these three and their Leftist groups were hoping for.

      Now they have the racial angle they wanted. This was a setup from the very beginning. If all three had been expelled, they still would scream racism.

      The left is desperate to create whatever racial situation they can use to exploit. The bottom line is that the 3 of them are working to disarm law-abiding black people. If white conservatives were smart they would use that angle against them.

      The Left has created the explosion of crime in this country. They disagreed with the christians when the Christian said a father is necessary in the home. Where his love and discipline, and leadership are desperately needed.

      I think Suspending them and forcing them to use a Skype communication system set up, away from the statehouse would have been a better punishment.

      But now since the state republicans have made the decision they had better stick to it. Because whatever they decided in the end they would be called racists.
      They need to show as much courage as the nashville police officers did.

      • Wrong. She says it was because of race NOW, but when she was up there testifying she did everything she could to set herself apart from the others. “I didn’t have the bullhorn!” “I didn’t disrupt!” all that crap. Then, when she successfully got excluded from expulsion, THEN she plays the race card to get attention. She’s a low life.

      • And that was exactly my point. By the way this was handled, the TN legislature handed the Leftist/fascists a PR victory. Plus, we can’t pound the pulpit about J6 and the government’s fascist response on the one hand, then turn around and react similarly (at least they aren’t in solitary confinement for the next year), and not look hypocritical.

        The “Tennessee Three” did have the right (1st Amendment) to speak up, protest, and petition for redress. They did NOT have the right to interfere with the actual functioning of the TN legislature. So, censure them, have them physically removed from the chamber by the sergeant-at-arms, require them to attend future votes/sessions by Zoom. Hell, kick them out, if that’s what you really think is appropriate (I disagree), but . . . kick out the two blacks, but not the one white?????

        The perfect storm: bad policy, bad politics, bad PR.

    • “You expel the two black reps, and leave the white one”
      Yeah that’s going to play out well. Stupid assholes never learn. Reminds me of the stupid bastards at the Capitol, all these clowns had to do was take ten minutes to think through how the dems would play that to their advantage for years to come.

  2. Republican Jackbooted Stormtroopers praised the Trumpite beer hall putsch of 2020 that tried to establish a dictatorship but being the hypocrites that they are in an insidious attempt to crush democracy and the 1st Amendment expelled 3 members of the opposing political party when when the jackbooted Republicans were shamed in front of the entire population of the state of Tennessee over opposing sane gun control laws after the latest school mass murders which they claimed was not high enough in the body count to do anything about.

    The Republican corrupt gangster criminals surely are a bunch of sick bastards and of course prostitutes of the NRA.

    • darcydodo…Can you account for your daily whereabouts when cities across America were being burned and looted by crazy democRats? And now you go drama queen over Jan. 6?

      You are not fooling anyone…If you said what you really wanted to say the entire forum would have to obtain restraining orders against you…I suggest you adjust your meds and accept the fact all 3 of those ignorant bullhorn Gun Control piles of trash needed to go in the compost pile…Because when real sht hits the fan Gun Control zealots who leave men, women and children defenseless are nowhere around to help ever as in TN, Brazil, etc.

      https://apnews.com/article/brazil-attack-school-daycare-hatchet-kids-killed-db58146631680a397cfd9bde66c15f06

      • “why are nazi demoncrat pigs allowed to post on this site?“

        Hey Doc, what do you have against the free exchange of ideas?

        You can ban words, you can ban books, you can even ban drag…

        But the school kids are still in body bags.

    • Oh, boy. yet another willfully ignorant member of the extreme left has decided to grace us with its presence while regurgitating all of the debunked and/or blatantly false nonsense it hears on MSNBC.

      Sit tf back down until you have actual knowledge. Better yet, GTFO.

    • dacian the demented dipshit,

      COOL STORY, BRO!! Now explain EXACTLY the legal difference between one group of protestors TEMPORARILY delaying the vote certification (the “business of the Congress”) and another group TEMPORARILY delaying proceedings on legislation (the “business” of the TN legislature). Oh, that’s right, there isn’t one, you drooling cretin.

      Go suck-start a shotgun, you fascist assclown.

  3. Never understood the concept that the House and Senate had the power to expel representatives directly elected by “the people”. While that power has been used sparingly, there is no safeguard against the majority party simply dismissing political opponents (but preserving a quorum), at any time.

    • Getting expelled is rare because it’s not easy.

      The US Constitution states that the US House and US Senate “may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.”

      The Tennessee constitution simply follows the US Constitution almost word for word. And the reason that clause is there is because it came from the practice of the colonial legislatures, which took the concept from the rules of English Parliament. But in the UK and the colonies, it was easier to expel someone. The US Constitution made it more difficult.

      The threshold is “disorderly behavior”, which is vague but you can see from today that one person didn’t meet that threshold. Why? I have no idea. Tennessee (R)s own more than 2/3rds of their house. They own 3/4ths, which is insane. Wyoming has a higher percentage, there might be a handful of other state houses with that kind of majority. But 75% is abnormal in America and they STILL couldn’t kick all 3 out.

      If you have a supermajority in a state or in the US legislature, it already means most the populace is already on the same page. The minority has little or no power in the first place. Not sure what you mean by preserving a quorum, the (D) party in Tennessee is already minuscule in both houses of their legislature. How much power would they have if (R)s only had 65 seats instead of 75? I don’t know but it would mean there is no margin of error for expulsion on the (R) side, which makes it even more difficult than it was today. And you still aren’t guaranteeing you are gaining a seat for your party until the special election. There is confusion about whether the expelled member can be appointed back to the seat. They can certainly run again in the next election as long as they didn’t commit a felony. I read one article in a Tennessee paper that said the house “only” needs 2/3rds vote to expel. Reporters are are idiots.

      • Or 66 seats instead of 75, whatever. The Tennessee House has 99 seats, and 65 would give you 2/3rds majority if you round up. Maybe that’s wrong. I don’t know what the rules say – if 65.6% counts or 66.6%.

        Regardless, it’s really not easy to expel.

      • “The US Constitution states that the US House and US Senate “may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.” ”

        Regardless, there is nothing to prevent wholesale removal of opposition members. The 2/3ds are not cosmic creatures, with no vested interest in the outcome; they are members of the national legislature.

        When the Constitution was written, there was a general political concept of “enlightened selfishness”. The idea was a check on doing something, while hoping there could/would be no retaliation. In the case at hand, one party fears that expelling opposition members would result in equal retaliation, and does not expel opposition members, in a fit of anger.

        Today, after the idiocy of ending filibuster for federal judges, and the general overturning of all sense of decorum in politics, the 2/3rds doesn’t matter, because the Leftists believe they will eventually wield all political power.

        However, as we have too often seen, the Leftists do not respect restraint from opposition.

        • Well stated, Sam, and that is exactly why I was troubled by the whole concept of expelling them. If the TN legislature felt that this conduct was sufficiently egregious to warrant expulsion, then expel ALL THREE. Don’t give the white “lady” a pass. Other than the bullhorn, their actions (at least what I can see from the videos released) were the same.

          And it is a PR disaster.

        • It was a vote. Someone decided that the woman acted differently, or maybe she showed some remorse. Sometimes you get points for that in a trial. I bet she doesn’t do that again. Were the dudes apologetic?

          PR disaster? Eh, it’s Tennessee. What are they going to do? Vote harder in the Memphis suburbs?

    • “Never understood the concept that the House and Senate had the power to expel representatives directly elected by ‘the people’ ”.

      being elected to the office does not mean you can act as these did to disrupt the proceedings, an elected official is not above the rules (although some think they are) of order and discipline in official functions. Its a reflection of society rules for order and discipline …. in society at large there are penalties for attempting to incite to riot and/or disrupting and creating disorder among society, its the same in the House only they are nicer and more political about it and put it to a vote where in society at large we don’t get a vote but can be arrested and deprived of our freedoms.

      Elected officials are suppose to represent all the people and not be biased against some and are suppose to protect and preserve the rights of the people and not protest against them, and incite protest and disorder in official proceedings of the house in order to disrupt and bias debate. Their very actions were ‘anti-democracy’ (if we are going to use that term like they did) because it chilled and suppressed and disrupted debate on the issues of the people (all the people, the debate is for all the people not just ones that were anti-gun like these wanted to bias the debate into emotional frenzy and hostile argument)

      That, collectively, is the concept and why they were expelled.

      They are not expelled from office, just from House proceedings and chambers.

      Yes, they should have been expelled for their anti-democracy behavior. The two that were expelled by vote were the most defiant and radical (and one tried to provoke a physical fight on the house floor too). The white lady escaped by one vote from being expelled because her actions were not as ‘egregious’ as the other two so she won a vote to her side. All received the same due process with the same voting procedures, there was no racial issue involved like the black members are claiming and it was their own radical ‘egregious’ behavior that got them expelled.

      • “Elected officials are suppose to represent all the people and not be biased against some”

        Seems the Constitution declares the President to represent “all the people”, and Representatives/Senators are to represent their voters (donors, in modern times).

        As to the “safety” margins and rarity, those only make things more tedious, not impossible.

  4. its called saul alinsky #4…
    RULE 4: “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.”

  5. Dunno voting them out was the right decision but At least they stuck to their guns in spite of it going against the mob. To much giving in to the mob these days.

    And a side note, its always about “attacking democracy”. Since when were the Democrats so concerned about our democracy (which they pretty much cant stand). Sounds good i guess

  6. Using a bullhorn in the chamber sounds like misconduct and inciting the raucous crowd if its anything. Also trying to leverage the murder of 6 people by one of their constituents for their agenda sure is bad optics. Add the raised closed fist of Marxism on the way out, good riddance.

    P.S. I cringe every time Trump does that stupid gesture.

  7. Other members have been guilty more serious behavior and were noy expelled. And no I am not going to do your work and tell you where to find the information.

  8. Good riddance to marxist trash. Now to do a re-vote on the woman and dump her lardself too. So much for “R ‘democracy’ ”
    See, lib/dems arent the only ones who can play that game! It’s long past time the conservatives learned to play by dem/alinsky leninist rules.

  10. How does a couple (perhaps there are more) mangy Panther wannabes get elected to the Tn Legislature?

      • ONLY 17%? Maye they’re getting some unofficial “help” to get elected. Or counted. Or something.

        • Or PERHAPS, that 17% tends to be overrepresented in the districts they are from???

    • Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville mostly democrat, rural and smaller areas mostly conservative, sort of like Texas (Austin, Houston, Dallas, etc.)

  13. Look at it this way- if the Democraps could have, they would have done the same thing to President Trump. They actually tried twice with baseless impeachments, for doing nothing. They are trying it right now in NYC.
    Until the Republicans start making them live by the same rules that they practice, nothing will change. This is just a good start.

  14. *Rrrrrrrring*
    Hello George, yeah it’s me. Me and my buddy just got thrown out of Tennessee and was wondering if you had another job for us? No that white bitch is still there.
    BATFE you say,ehhh that’s really not down our alley but if it has anything to do with disarming American citizens and we dont have to get involved with the alcohol part I suppose we could make some consenscions.
    Oh okay thanks, be there next week.

  15. The twisted female (and KNOWN to be unstable….) who shot up that school brought three firearms with her.. one was indeed what is commonly but erroneously referred to as an “assault weapon” or “weapon of war” (it is no such thing). The next was a pistol calibre carbine. The third was a 9mm semiauto handgun. As I understand the reports, she may have used the AR type to breach the entry door. She used the handgun for most of her dirty work. Banning “assault weapons” would have changed nothing. So the clown hollering fr them to be banned is a fraud. And likely KNOWS IT.

    Tennesee law allows for staff to be trained and armed at private schools like this one. They elected NOT to do that. Had they done, the male janitor who was trying to make this crazy female go away COULD have been armed. The reports have it that after she used one of her guns to blast the glass out f the entry door she turned herself round to back through the opened part of the door without getting cut on the glass shards she had sprayed everywhere. Had the janitor been armed, it would have been no contest for him to prevail as she struggled, back to him, to work her way through the door. He would not even have had to pull the trigger.. strong voice commands, I have a gun trained on you, drop YOUR weapons now or I WILL fire until you do.
    End of her sorry excuse of an adventure.

    We value our money higher than we do our schoolchildren. HOW can I make this outrageous claim> Simple: we send ARMED GUARDS along to guard our money in transit, armed guards at our banks, and a glass door and “NO GUNS” signs at our schools. And NO GUNS.

    Friend of mine has a passel of kids, and decided to take a poll of them, asking what are the ten things each one likes most about homeschooling. Some answered things like “I can wear my bedroom slippers when doing my schoolwork. Another “I can eat my breakfast at my desk. Another I can watch the deer outside my window when at my desk. His eldest daughter said “because I can have my gun leaning against the wall right next to my desk”. (I think she was 13 then….) The fall she was fifteen she got up real early opening day of deer season, took her hunting rifle, went out on her own and bagged a trophy buck before the sun was high up in the sky. She then field dressed it and walked home to have her Dad bring the pickup. I believe the mounted head is on the wall in her bedroom. Oh and SHE is a VERY feminine Lady. SHe has no doubt whatever she is all female, and glad of it.

    • “The reports have it that after she used one of her guns to blast the glass out f the entry door she turned herself round to back through the opened part of the door without getting cut on the glass shards”

      Makes me wonder if anyone would have been killed if those doors had had chicken wire reinforcement. I guess we can’t know that.

  16. Tell me you are a black panther sympathizer without telling me you are a black panther sympathizer. Racism at it’s finest. Only makes national news because they are black too, and of course, TN expels both of them and keeps the crazy white Karen… just flush that shit down the toilet, all 3 turds.

  17. This is just a logical part of the standard the Democratic Party set on the National stage. There will be more of this by both Parties.

  19. So they broke the rules of the Tennessee state legislator. They violated the quorum. They brought an angry mob into the chamber, attempting to threatening & intimidate fellow legislators into passing laws that violate the constitution in the oath they took, I don’t even need to see the clenched fist to know these two were communist, and they got what was coming to them.

  20. Being elected to the office does not mean you can act as these did to disrupt the proceedings, an elected official is not above the rules (although some think they are) of order and discipline in official functions. Its a reflection of society rules for order and discipline …. in society at large there are penalties for attempting to incite to riot and/or disrupting and creating disorder among society, its the same in the House only they are nicer and more political about it and put it to a vote where in society at large we don’t get a vote but can be arrested and deprived of our freedoms.

    Elected officials are suppose to represent all the people and not be biased against some and are suppose to protect and preserve the rights of the people and not protest against them, and incite protest and disorder in official proceedings of the house in order to disrupt and bias debate. Their very actions were ‘anti-democracy’ (if we are going to use that term like they did) because it chilled and suppressed and disrupted debate on the issues of the people (all the people, the debate is for all the people not just ones that were anti-gun like these wanted to bias the debate into emotional frenzy and hostile argument)

    That, collectively, is the concept and why they were expelled.

    They are not expelled from office, just from House proceedings and chambers.

    Yes, they should have been expelled for their anti-democracy behavior. The two that were expelled by vote were the most defiant and radical (and one tried to provoke a physical fight on the house floor too). The white lady escaped by one vote from being expelled because her actions were not as ‘egregious’ as the other two so she won a vote to her side. All received the same due process with the same voting procedures, all were given a chance to present their defense, there was no racial issue involved like the black members are claiming and it was their own defiant radical ‘egregious’ behavior that got them expelled.

    • “They are not expelled from office, just from House proceedings and chambers.”

      If this is true then this outcry is a nothing burger.

      • only the voters can remove an elected official from office…except in cases of criminality, or some sort of malicious negligence or direlection of duty or abuses of office.

  21. These two guys are definitely not representative of Tennessee as a whole.
    They were only elected by the small pockets of minority voters within their respective towns / districts Nashville & Memphis.
    They are the product of crap in equals crap out.
    So goodbye and good riddance to their natural afro hairdo’s and hood rat leftist antics.

  22. A vote is held among elected representatives to uphold the rule of law.

    Low IQ commies: “That’s a threat to democracy! And racist. And fascist. And and and…”

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